first of three presidential debates is tonight where president obama and governor mitt romney will stand on the same stage for the first time in eight years. >> now, in the swing state of colorado, the candidates will focus on the economy. melanie alnwick is live at the white house with a preview. >> reporter: more than 50 million people are expected to tune in tonight to witness the verbal sparring. governor rome necessity's message will be that the country cannot afford four more years of the obama administration and its policies. president obama's message will be that the country is far better off than it would have been without his policies and he needs four more years in order to be able to finish the job. now, in denver, colorado, final preparations are under way for that first presidential election debate in colorado. the showdown in denver between the president and governor mitt romney will take place at the university of denver. now, unlike debates in the past, this one will be a little bit different. it will be a 90-minute debate broken up into six 15-minute discussions as orga